Stampede's Spring 2015 Big Book of AV Tour and Conference Kicks Off in NYC April 23

The 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV Tour and Conference Series, the ProAV industry’s biggest annual traveling roadshow, will commence its second quarter of stops at New York City’s Roosevelt Hotel (45 East 45th Street) on April 23, 2015, with a business-building panel discussion moderated by Systems Contractor News editor-at-large Kirsten Nelson and a keynote presentation by InfoComm vice president Duffy Wilbert.

The first Kirsten Nelson-hosted panel will take place at 10:00 a.m. and be focused on “Drones: The Next Wave of Innovation is in the Sky!” The information-rich sessions will include panelists from Stampede, Unmanned Vehicle University, XFLY Systems, a manufacturer of ultra-professional drones — all of whom will talk about how to make drones a practical and profitable part of a near-term business plan.

According to Stampede president and COO Kevin Kelly, the New York stop is designed to set the tone for the rest of the year’s tour, combining information on how to profit from new product categories while continuing to build maximum sales from mainstay product categories. “The success of the first leg of the 2015 tour was fueled both by a renewed interest in our manufacturing partners’ core AV/IT solution offerings, as well as by a growing dealer and end-user interest to learn more about how to incorporate drones into their businesses,” Kelly said. “In fact, the decision to incorporate drones into their businesses is helping to drive sales of all of the other related AV/IT solutions that are necessary to realize the full benefits of drones. It’s like we have always said: the advent of the new helps to revitalize the mainstays of our industry.”

The New York stop is the perfect venue to introduce the new line of XFold ultra-professional multi-rotor platform drones, according to XFLY Systems president TJ Diaz, who noted that, “The New York stop will be our first local-market appearance in our new partnership with Stampede. This new distribution agreement with Stampede joins together the world’s best multi-rotor sUAV platforms with the world’s best channel sales team in North America. I believe that this partnership will help to bring the benefits of our technology to more commercial markets, faster, and New York is the first stop of many.”

The 2015 Stampede Big Book of AV Tour and Conference Series kicked off in January with event-filled, information-rich stops in Tampa, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Houston that featured heavily attended exhibits, CTS-certified training sessions, feature presentations, and InfoComm Roundtable events. The New York event on April 23 will include all of these elements, plus something new: the local market debut of the xFold ultra-professional sUAVs, which are designed for use in mapping, as well as in film and television production. “We expect a lot of New York-area producers to come out and see these new drones — and this will benefit all of our partners.”

In addition, the New York stop will feature a morning keynote by InfoComm SVP Duffy Wilbert, CTS, CAE, and seven industry training sessions entitled “10 Steps to a Successful Video Wall” by Mark Weniger, Channel Sales sccount manager for NEC, “Sorting Out Media Players for Digital Signage,” sponsored by Samsung, “Overcoming Projector Installation Challenges” by Robert Guentner of Optoma Technologies, “Digital Signage with Brightsign” by Tom Mendoza, and three exciting training sessions focused on drones and UAV technology. They include an “Overview of the Drone/UAS Industry and Business Potential” by Paul Dragos, Unmanned Vehicle University’s dean of school of flight training, “Drone Aerial Cinematography” by ZM Interactive (ZMI) and “xFold Drone Technical Configuration Training” by TJ Diaz, CEO of XFLY Systems, the manufacturers of the innovative xFold drone that is designed and built for aerial cinematography.

“Our seven training sessions will equip attendees with the knowledge to understand and take advantage of future product and market trends,” said Kelly. “Couple that knowledge with connections made and insight shared through the open roundtable discussions, and we’re ensuring that attendees leave with what’s needed to enhance their product portfolio and grow their business.

“We are excited to have our resellers learn how to build and configure the xFold drone system and have it ready to shoot major motion picture video. This will be a hands-on demonstration and training session that is not to be missed.”

Stampede will also offer event incentives such as a $500 Stampede credit to qualified attendees and a $50 Amex gift card to all in attendance the day of the tour and conference. Every attendee will also be entered into a drawing to win a 42-inch HD television.